In Message To White House, Religious Leaders Say Peace Is Possible

September 29, 2010

WASHINGTON(September 29, 2010) —In visits to the White House and the State
Department, religious leaders representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim
communities offered support for the Obama administration’s efforts to continue
peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The leaders, who included Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, New York,
Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick,
retired Archbishop of Washington, presented a statement at meetings on September
29 with National Security Advisor General James Jones and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, on behalf of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative
for Peace in the Middle East (NILI).

“We are people of hope. We call upon the members of our religious communities
to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to support active, fair, and firm U.S.
leadership to advance comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” said the
statement. “It will be difficult to achieve, but peace is possible.”

The statement called for a two-state solution as the only viable path to
peace and said sustained U.S. leadership for peace is essential.

“One of
the biggest obstacles to peace in the Middle East is cynicism,” said Bishop
Hubbard of the meeting. “As people of faith, we must remember that with God all
things are possible. The human spirit can overcome even the longest and most
violent of conflicts.”

“We are always hopeful for peace,” Cardinal
McCarrick added. “History shows us repeatedly that historic change can occur at
unlikely times, and so we must never give into despair.”

Full text of the
statement follows:

New Hope for the Peace of
Jerusalem:Jewish, Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders
Support U.S. Leadership for Peace

Our faith traditions teach that every person is created by the one God and
deserving of respect. This common religious heritage finds expression in our
common commitment to peace with justice for all.

With the support and engagement of the United States, earlier this month,
direct negotiations resumed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with
the goal of reaching agreement within one year. It is imperative that the peace
talks continue. While we have long supported a halt to all settlement expansion,
we support the United States working with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President
Abbas to reach a mutually acceptable agreement that will allow the negotiations
to continue. We stand united in support of active, fair, and firm U.S.
leadership for Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace. Two years ago, we issued a
statement on “a window of hope.” Today we declare there is “New Hope for the
Peace of Jerusalem.” It will be difficult to achieve, but peace is
possible.

Since 2003 we have worked together for a two-state solution that will bring
Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace within the framework of U.N. Security Council
Resolutions 242, 338 and 1397. As religious leaders in the United States, we
have prayed for peace, made public statements, met with public officials, and
stood in solidarity with religious leaders in Israel, the Palestinian
Territories and throughout the region.

Despite tragic violence and discouraging developments, there are signs of
hope. Majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians still support a two-state
solution. Arab states have declared their commitment to peace in the Arab Peace
Initiative. There are U.S. diplomatic efforts to restart Israeli-Syrian and
Israeli-Lebanese negotiations for peace. Official and informal negotiations
have produced the outlines of concrete compromises for resolving the conflict,
including the final status issues: borders and security, settlements, refugees
and Jerusalem. Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious leaders both here and in
the region reject the killing of innocents, support a just peace, and believe
sustained negotiations are the only path to peace.

As we said two years ago, there is a real danger that cynicism will replace
hope and that people will give up on peace. With the resumption of direct
negotiations, clarity is demanded. So let us be clear. As religious leaders,
we remain firmly committed to a two-state solution to the conflict as the only
viable way forward. We believe that concerted, sustained U.S. leadership for
peace is essential. And we know that time is not on the side of peace, that
delay is not an option.

The path to peace shuns violence and embraces dialogue. This path demands
reciprocal steps that build confidence. This path can lead to a future of two
states, Israel and a viable, independent Palestine, living side by side in peace
with security and dignity for both peoples, stability in the region, and a
comprehensive peace between Israel and all her Arab neighbors.

The United States has a unique and indispensable role which gives our nation
a special responsibility to pursue peace. Achieving Arab-Israeli-Palestinian
peace will have positive reverberations in the region and around the world. Our
nation and the world will be much safer with the achievement of the peace of
Jerusalem.

We refuse, now and always, to give into cynicism or despair. We arepeople of
hope. We call upon the members of our religious communities to pray for the
peace of Jerusalem and to support active, fair, and firm U.S. leadership to
advance comprehensive peace in the Middle East. The time for peace is
now.

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